Parker Bros was a premiere developer for all platforms, being able to wrestle amazing results from systems with lack-lustre or problematic hardware. Their arcade ports repeatedly land at the top of every system's best titles lists. (here I go again...) Their four TI-99/4A titles, Frogger, Popeye, Q-bert, and the late release of Tutankham are the best Arcade releases for the system, arguably better than the same PB releases on other system of the time and certainly demonstrate greater time and effort than the later Atarisoft releases on various systems. They also made the best pre-role-playing board games, that others ported to computers and consoles. The makreting ad was a fabulous addition to the video. Thanks as always.
I had some really great memories playing Parker Brothers games for the Atari 2600. As a kid I loved,Popeye,Spiderman,Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back and Frogger Keep up the good work Laird.
Soon after Tonka Corporation acquired the Parker Brothers brand, they released Monopoly - Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Game Boy and Super NES Clue - Super NES and Sega Genesis Parker Brothers is currently owned by Hasbro Some of the games that Parker Brothers released for Atari 2600 were given to various video game companies Spider-Man - Activision (multiple game consoles) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - JVC Musical Industries (NES and Super NES) Frogger - Hasbro Interactive (Windows 95) Q*Bert - Ultra Games (NES), Jaleco (PlayStation) Strawberry Shortcake - The Game Factory (PlayStation 2) The Lord of the Rings - Electronic Arts (through New Line Cinema) (multiple game consoles)
Return of the Jedi was Awesome - some genius programming going on there. The colors, sprites, action, 3D effect, sound, and death star knowing what piece to fill in you see from afar and up close - Pure Genius. Not to mention fun to play.
This is why Parker Brothers folded into Hasbro in 2009 which was long after Parker Brothers lost millions during the Video Game Crash. Parker Brothers at the time put out “Monopoly” for the Sega Master System, and then the NES, SNES, and other consoles.
@@TheLairdsLair I did not know this. I only played it through emulation and it came with the romset I got, I just assumed it was a released game. Thanks for educating me. I still think there's much worse games then E.T. though. 😁
I'm nearly there (thankfully no Alzheimers) and yes I can hum the Frogger tune (and the Popeye game-play tune, the Q-bert start level tune - and the Gyrus theme (thanks Johann Sebastion). But that's because I still play them nearly every day.
1982, Hasbro, video, a new technology, a new market, a new world of games. Hasbro, quality, play value, excitement, advertising muscle, “Frogger”, “Star Wars”, the age of video. Hasbro, the best is yet to come!
Of these, only Q*bert was re-released by Atari in 1988 in the red label version. I wonder if you happen to have a video for "Every Atari 2600 Coleco Game" yet? I know of them, Atari re-released Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mouse Trap and Venture into the red label group in 1988. However, I also think they could have re-released both Smurf Rescue (NBC was still airing the cartoon series in 1988) and Mr. Do! into the red label line.
Was that a presentation for a stock holders meeting at the end? They actually tried to talk the talk and walk the walk. In a parallel Universe, Parker Brothers continued hard core in the NES and 16 Bit era and outbid LJN and other turds for licences. They actually tried to turn big market licensing into good games. It was not always successful. What the hell is going on with the Care Bears game?
Amazing what good coders could do with the 2600 pre 1984. Post 1984 after Tramiel bought Atari, the 2600 and 8 bit computer line could have done FAR better into the 90s. The NES and I assume other contemporary consoles got continuously upgraded tech in their carts, like more ram, Rom, and other special chips to enhance sound, graphics or game levels. The 2600 hardware was mostly limited by the low amount of built in RAM and low rom size in the carts to save money pre 1984. But by the time the 2600jr and XEGS were released post 1986, chips were getting cheaper every year. Had Atari sought out great coders like those who did the best Activision, Imagic and Parker Brothers titles, and given them the time and added memory resources in the cart, with maybe extras like a pokey sound chip or other sound upgrade chip in special carts, the 2600 could have really shown it's stuff and lasted even longer. Look at the best, biggest 2600 homebrews of the past 10 years. Only difference is the time and memory size put into them
Not sure I completely agree with that. Firstly lots of Tramiel-era 2600 games did contain extra hardware on the carts including extra RAM and mappers of sorts. Secondly I'd argue that the 2600's most advanced games were released in this period, not just by Atari with titles like Solaris, Secret Quest, Fatal Run and MotoRodeo but also third party stuff from Activision and Absolute like Rampage, Double Dragon, Kung Fu Master and Commando. Lastly the 2600 sold REALLY well, especially in the UK/Europe where it vastly outsold the original models. It wasn't officially discontinued in Europe until 1992 (the year before the Jaguar arrived!) and the last commercial games (Acid Drop and Ghostbusters II) were released in 1991, some 15 years after the console debuted!
But not as good as the Parker Brothers Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Game Boy and Super NES games that came afterwards Same with Activision
I always found it funny in frogger II the frog would get flattened by a fish.... 16:55 Lmao "most popular game system on the market" did they basically say Atari (or intellivision) twice as sears did have an Atari VCS (and a rebranded Intellivision), just renamed to Sears Tele-Games video arcade (and Tele-Games super video arcade).
I don't like commentary on gameplay videos unless I am specifically reviewing the games. I also don't like people who like their own comments . . . . .
I mean, cool, but have you ever actually played any of these games? Game play footage is better when you actually know how to play any of these games....
Love the slow strategic burn of "Care Bears". Not a single pixel is wasted in execution. Absolute underrated gem....
Parker Bros was a premiere developer for all platforms, being able to wrestle amazing results from systems with lack-lustre or problematic hardware. Their arcade ports repeatedly land at the top of every system's best titles lists.
(here I go again...) Their four TI-99/4A titles, Frogger, Popeye, Q-bert, and the late release of Tutankham are the best Arcade releases for the system, arguably better than the same PB releases on other system of the time and certainly demonstrate greater time and effort than the later Atarisoft releases on various systems.
They also made the best pre-role-playing board games, that others ported to computers and consoles.
The makreting ad was a fabulous addition to the video. Thanks as always.
I had some really great memories playing Parker Brothers games for the Atari 2600. As a kid I loved,Popeye,Spiderman,Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back and Frogger Keep up the good work Laird.
Soon after Tonka Corporation acquired the Parker Brothers brand, they released
Monopoly - Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Game Boy and Super NES
Clue - Super NES and Sega Genesis
Parker Brothers is currently owned by Hasbro
Some of the games that Parker Brothers released for Atari 2600 were given to various video game companies
Spider-Man - Activision (multiple game consoles)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - JVC Musical Industries (NES and Super NES)
Frogger - Hasbro Interactive (Windows 95)
Q*Bert - Ultra Games (NES), Jaleco (PlayStation)
Strawberry Shortcake - The Game Factory (PlayStation 2)
The Lord of the Rings - Electronic Arts (through New Line Cinema) (multiple game consoles)
@@brandonreina5461But the Atari 2600 Parker Brothers games were made by Hasbro.
Return of the Jedi was Awesome - some genius programming going on there. The colors, sprites, action, 3D effect, sound, and death star knowing what piece to fill in you see from afar and up close - Pure Genius. Not to mention fun to play.
Parker Brothers lost millions due to the video game crash even though their games were among the best for 3rd party publishers on Atari.
How did they lose money?
This is why Parker Brothers folded into Hasbro in 2009 which was long after Parker Brothers lost millions during the Video Game Crash. Parker Brothers at the time put out “Monopoly” for the Sega Master System, and then the NES, SNES, and other consoles.
Awesome video, thanks for putting this together with the box art included. So many happy memories here!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for putting the box art for each. Also I've never seen the ad at the end before. Cool.
It's not a ad, it's a presentation likely made for investors
05:02
WOW!!!
McDonald's looks *EXCITING* AF!!!
🍔🍟😸🙈💀
Yeah, it looks about as exciting as watching grass grow.
Andy Warhol developed it. It’s that same screen for 24 hours. Then game ends. No one wins. 😂😂😂
Looks about as exciting as the Care Bear game 🤣🤣🤣
@@white-dragon4424 I actually programmed a scratch game called grass simulator where you do just that
There is just something so apt about Star Wars and the 2600.
They just make great friends.
3:49 007 later appeared in different video games including GoldenEye (Nintendo), Nightfire (Electronic Arts) and James Bond Jr. (THQ).
Very cool video!
Anyone who says E.T. was the worst 2600 game has obviously never played Care Bears. Parker Brothers made some great ones too though.
To be fair Care Bears is an unreleased prototype.
@@TheLairdsLair I did not know this. I only played it through emulation and it came with the romset I got, I just assumed it was a released game. Thanks for educating me. I still think there's much worse games then E.T. though. 😁
Many, I could name 30 worse 2600 games without even trying.
One day I will be a 75 year old man with Alzheimers in a nursing home, and I will still remember the song from Frogger on the 2600 😉
I'm nearly there (thankfully no Alzheimers) and yes I can hum the Frogger tune (and the Popeye game-play tune, the Q-bert start level tune - and the Gyrus theme (thanks Johann Sebastion). But that's because I still play them nearly every day.
I bought a Merlin when it came out. There were different models, but I did have the red one as seen in the video presentation.
1982, Hasbro, video, a new technology, a new market, a new world of games.
Hasbro, quality, play value, excitement, advertising muscle, “Frogger”, “Star Wars”, the age of video.
Hasbro, the best is yet to come!
When I saw someone playing "Crazy Climber" I asked why doesn't Spider-Man use his webs?
Empire Strikes Back was frigging boss BITD!
What is the object in the Care Bears game? It doesn’t look like anything happened
Very unfinished prototype, so who knows?
is the Care Bears game.. a game or a screensaver? lol
Very unfinished prototype
Awesome games, fantastic trailers for games
Reactor was one of my favs when I was little, played the crap out of that game! Good times!
How do you play that game? I could never figure it out
Of these, only Q*bert was re-released by Atari in 1988 in the red label version.
I wonder if you happen to have a video for "Every Atari 2600 Coleco Game" yet? I know of them, Atari re-released Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mouse Trap and Venture into the red label group in 1988. However, I also think they could have re-released both Smurf Rescue (NBC was still airing the cartoon series in 1988) and Mr. Do! into the red label line.
The Smurf game is just SMURF.
The full title is SMURF : Rescue in Gargamel's Castle.
Gyruss has the 2nd best soundtrack on the system and the 1st best using the TIA chip! Pitfall 2 is the only thing that beats it!
Yeah I'd probably agree, although Double Dragon has an absolutely outstanding soundtrack and California Games is excellent too.
BMX Airmaster is top 3 as well. Pitfall II is not using just the TIA but an enhancement chip in the cartridge.
What was the objective in the Care Bears game? Didn't look like anything was happening there.
Unfinished prototype.
@@TheLairdsLair Ah, that explains it.
"Revenge of The Jedi". Almost forgot that was the original title before they changed just before the movie came out.
Was that a presentation for a stock holders meeting at the end? They actually tried to talk the talk and walk the walk.
In a parallel Universe, Parker Brothers continued hard core in the NES and 16 Bit era and outbid LJN and other turds for licences. They actually tried to turn big market licensing into good games. It was not always successful.
What the hell is going on with the Care Bears game?
Parker did actually return briefly to do a few Master System games, but they were not very successful.
Parker would have probably gone on to become what Ocean and US Gold were to licensing had things turned out differently.
Yeah, probably more like Acclaim though, with them being American and console focused.
@@retro_reflections Then it absorbed into Hasbro.
Is that the real background music in gyruss? It's freaking sweet!
Yep, it's amazing!
“Gyruss” also has music, and it was based on Bach’s “Toccata & Fugue in D Minor” from Disney’s “Fantasia”.
I imagine the Care Bears game came with a warning for cardiac patients.
It's a very early prototype to be fair
Amazing what good coders could do with the 2600 pre 1984.
Post 1984 after Tramiel bought Atari, the 2600 and 8 bit computer line could have done FAR better into the 90s.
The NES and I assume other contemporary consoles got continuously upgraded tech in their carts, like more ram, Rom, and other special chips to enhance sound, graphics or game levels.
The 2600 hardware was mostly limited by the low amount of built in RAM and low rom size in the carts to save money pre 1984.
But by the time the 2600jr and XEGS were released post 1986, chips were getting cheaper every year.
Had Atari sought out great coders like those who did the best Activision, Imagic and Parker Brothers titles, and given them the time and added memory resources in the cart, with maybe extras like a pokey sound chip or other sound upgrade chip in special carts, the 2600 could have really shown it's stuff and lasted even longer.
Look at the best, biggest 2600 homebrews of the past 10 years.
Only difference is the time and memory size put into them
Not sure I completely agree with that. Firstly lots of Tramiel-era 2600 games did contain extra hardware on the carts including extra RAM and mappers of sorts. Secondly I'd argue that the 2600's most advanced games were released in this period, not just by Atari with titles like Solaris, Secret Quest, Fatal Run and MotoRodeo but also third party stuff from Activision and Absolute like Rampage, Double Dragon, Kung Fu Master and Commando.
Lastly the 2600 sold REALLY well, especially in the UK/Europe where it vastly outsold the original models. It wasn't officially discontinued in Europe until 1992 (the year before the Jaguar arrived!) and the last commercial games (Acid Drop and Ghostbusters II) were released in 1991, some 15 years after the console debuted!
Parker Bros. Atari games were every bit as good as Activision!
But not as good as the Parker Brothers Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Game Boy and Super NES games that came afterwards
Same with Activision
@@brandonreina5461And now known as Hasbro Gaming.
I always found it funny in frogger II the frog would get flattened by a fish....
16:55 Lmao "most popular game system on the market" did they basically say Atari (or intellivision) twice as sears did have an Atari VCS (and a rebranded Intellivision), just renamed to Sears Tele-Games video arcade (and Tele-Games super video arcade).
Some narration would be nice.
I don't like commentary on gameplay videos unless I am specifically reviewing the games.
I also don't like people who like their own comments . . . . .
i dont understand carebears there nothing happening, is this the game? and they need to add a tummy symbol, MC D oesnt seem to do anything
Care Bears and McDonalds are both very unfinished prototypes.
5:42 how the hell did you miss that jump????💀
I didn't, it's a Hyperspin clip.
WTF is even going on in that Care Bears game?? 😂
It's a very unfinished prototype!
@@TheLairdsLair OK. I just figured you didn't know how to play, like the sorry attempt to get Frogger across the screen.
amdar reminds me of Quix or Pepper II
A lot of these weren't ever released.
If 4 is a "a lot" then you are right.
star wars games look good
Are you serious with some of these clips?
Great
Why no gameplay for the McDonald's game?
Because there isn't any! It's a very early prototype and that's all there is!
It’s only a prototype, but it never got finished.
Is There Anyone Between The Ages of 20 to 50 Making A UA-cam Channel About The Future of Activision Games?
Wtf is with the care bears game?
It's an early prototype, same with McDonalds.
I mean, cool, but have you ever actually played any of these games? Game play footage is better when you actually know how to play any of these games....
I have played and own most of them, but I'm not playing any of them here, they are Hyperspin clips.